In this painting by Donald Zolan, a young boy is sitting with his sister on rock. He appears to be reading to his sister, and she is holding one side of the book and helps him flip through the front pages. He has his arm around her to keep her from falling off of the rock. In the background, there is a pond and to the right of the pond, there are a few trees. It appears to be sunny, and the sun’s light is reflecting off of the water, but the boy and his sister are sitting in the shade of the trees.
One of the visual elements that stands out are the colors in the painting. The young boy is dressed in a blue sweater, with a turquoise button-down underneath. He has gray and white shoes, while his sister’s shoes are solid white. His sister is…show more content… The light and the shadow seem to balance each other out. The shadow from the trees and the light from the pond are on opposite sides of the painting. However, their relation to each other is more asymmetrical than symmetrical because the children are not exactly in the middle. Zolan’s focal point for this painting is the children, and the color of their clothing helps them to stand out from the dark background, and the white book stands out even further. The fact that Zolan painted the book white and used rich colors in the clothing draws the eye to what the children are doing: the boy is holding his sister, and he is going to read her a book.
This painting is an oil painting, by a man that loves children. Donald Zolan, was born in 1937, and grew up in Illinois. He came from a long line of artists, which inspired him to become one himself. He developed a strong passion for painting, and his being a Mid-Westerner influenced his work. He loved the countryside, as seen in several of his pieces, and many of his paintings also included children, which brought him joy. He later died in 2009, and is considered a very beloved artist. He completed this painting in the contemporary